Hermann Hesse

02.07.1877 - 09.08.1962

Certainly the Town of Calw’s most famous son, Hermann Hesse (1877-1962) started working in the PERROT Tower Clocks Factory, not quite 17 years of age, and then subsequently left in September 1885 after a short stay of 15 months. Here is what the Master of the factory said of him: ‘’Hermann Hesse did not really want to become a mechanic or a tower clock maker. When I was young I was often told how Hesse’s father did not know what to do with his son who had just fled the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Maulbronn. The fact that Hesse’s father had approached my father to teach his son some mechanical skills resulted partly from the latter’s reputation as an authority in his field, but was a result of my father’s sympathy and concern for the young Hesse’s problems. The apprentices, assistants and journeymen were a very friendly group and Hesse fit right in. He was obviously a member of the team when he was invited to my parents’ wedding in February 1895.

Hesse’s letters to his friends Rümelin and Lang, written in the year 1895, showed how his mind had calmed down and his health stabilized. He also had ample time to read literature and to write. And thus began his storied career as a distinguished poet, novelist and painter.